TALKS TO UNTIE T-KNOT TODAY - A PLEASE ALL BID MAY LEAD TO MORE UNREST IN AP

Hyderabad/New Delhi: An air of uncertainty enveloped the state on the eve of crucial talks in the national Capital on Tuesday which would see home minister P Chidambaram confabulating with representatives of eight recognised political parties from Andhra Pradesh on the Telangana issue. With Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singvi making it clear on Monday that there can be no deadline on Telangana and that Tuesdays meeting would be the first of many more rounds of consultations, the state is likely to head for another round of unrest as both the joint action committees for separate Telangana and united Andhra have threatened to intensify their agitation in case any announcement by the UPA government in their favour is not forthcoming by Tuesday evening.

Chidambaram too in his invitation for talks had made it clear that apart from the political parties, various groups need to be consulted and that all these are steps to deliberate on the mechanism and lay down a road map for the consultations, on Telangana and not for creation of a separate state. Indications are that the Centre would announce by Tuesday evening that the first round of talks were fruitful and that there was need for more rounds of talks with other stakeholders of both the regions. These would include trade organisations, land owners and representatives from different fields, analysts said.

This being the situation, the meeting expected to begin at 10.30 am on Tuesday will only see the parties state their respective positions. While the two representatives each from the Congress and TDP will pitch for united Andhra and separate Telangana respectively , the TRS, BJP and CPI will bat for the separate state and PRP and CPM oppose it while the MIM will ask the Congress to spell out its stand first before urging others to do so. By Monday, the top political leadership from the state including chief minister K Rosaiah, acting governor E S L Narasimhan and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao were already camping in the Delhi and holding parleys with various leaders on the contentious issue . Rosaiah met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram, law minister and AICC general secretary M Veerappa Moily and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.

I will not make any statements at Tuesdays all-party meeting and instead, will listen to the viewpoints of all the political parties, the CM told the media in the evening. Governor Narasimhan met the Union home minister and reportedly briefed him about the law and order situation in Andhra Pradesh. On the advice of top state police officials, the governor is said to have raised the threat of Maoist resurgence in case a separate state is created. In turn, the Centre is said to have told him to work in tandem with the state government in maintaining law and order in the state.

KCR met CPI leader A B Bardhan here on Monday and extracted his assurance for separate Telangana. The Centre should follow up its Telangana announcement by moving a resolution on the issue in Parliament. I will announce the future course of action of the TRS after the meeting on Tuesday, he told the media. According to sources, the Congress is likely to persuade the TRS chief not to aggravate the situation by hardening its stance and instead wait for the deliberations to be completed . While the non-Telangana Congress MPs met at the residence of Elur MP Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, the Telangana MPs met at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP V Hanumantha Rao. Leaders of the TDP, PRP, MIM and BJP also held discussions to thrash out the strategy for the crucial meeting on Tuesday.

(SOURCE : TOI)